Spain releases treasure-hunt ship

Source: BBC

A US treasure-hunting ship intercepted and searched by Spanish police investigating a mysterious haul of riches has been cleared to leave port.

The Ocean Alert is owned by a company in Miami which recently raised a record haul of silver coins from a shipwreck.

Spanish authorities suspect the discovery might have been made in their territorial waters.

The dispute became a three-way diplomatic incident when Britain complained to the Spanish foreign ministry, arguing that Madrid did not have the right under shipping laws to intercept a vessel in international waters.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6903807.stm

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Experts say it might be the "Merchant Royal", an English ship sunk in 1641 with a stolen spanish treasure!
A dispute is undergoing about the position of the intercepted ship: spanish or international waters?
Spain launches legal action to get both the wreck and the treasure. Silver coins worth $500m are at stake, as it seems.